Instruments Division News
07/19/2007
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Welcome to the newest member of our division, Maggie Turnbull. Maggie started on
Monday, and she will be joining the WFC3 team. Maggie is a pioneering
astrobiologist, and she is ranked by CNN as one of the “eight trailblazing scientists
who are about to change your life.”
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/07/13/genius.scientists/
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Maggie’s office is room 412, across from the board room.
We’ve also had a few team-member swaps:
o Peter McCullough has also joined the WFC3 team.
o After completion of WFC3 T/V tests in August, Massimo Robberto will
switch to supporting NIRCam for JWST.
o Rossy Diaz-Miller, our CDBS and ETC lead, has switched from the DA
Group to the Telescopes Group.
HST news:
o An SM4 review took place at JSC last week.
 No technical issues for doing the repairs of ACS or STIS.
 Alan Stern will make a decision on ACS repair soon.
o HST MO conducted a review of NICMOS pipeline improvement issues
enabled by Eddie Bergeron’s “temperature from bias” analysis.
Algorithms based on the simpler single-quadrant algorithm will be
pursued.
o A review of enhanced Cycle 16 calibration plans will be coming up in
mid-August.
JWST news:
o Tinsley is struggling with JWST mirror production---running 8 setups
simultaneously is harder than finishing 1 mirror.
o The MIRI verification model will start thermal vac testing in November,
with a long run in February. We will be supporting the February test at
Rutherford Appleton labs in the U.K.
Alpha testing is in progress for the central storage system. Mac authentication is to be
implemented today, and beta testing should begin soon.
We are now advertising Visiting Scientist positions and term hires. Ads will appear in
various places, including Physics Today and the AAS Job Register, and the
application period closes September 30. The goal is to hire up to 6 more people by
January 1 to help us get over the staffing hump associated with SM4. Please spread
word of the opportunity here among your colleagues, grad students, and postdocs.
This year’s appraisal cycle is in full swing. Many thanks to those of you who have
completed your self appraisal. We’ll be having an all-hands meeting in early August
before we complete the final appraisals to describe in detail how we are working to
ensure a complete, accurate, and fair appraisal of everyone in the division.
Lisa Morris in HR will be leaving at the end of this week. She is moving on to
greener pastures, and we thank her for all her help in this year’s appraisal process.